Maureen Kinnamon: Lesbian Lovers Quarrel Ends In Fatal Stabbing Of Penny Sue Silas At Nevada Motel
Maureen Kinnamon has been arrested for the fatal stabbing death of another female at a motel in Nye County, Nevada. 13 Action News is reporting this evening that 49-year old Maureen Kinnamon was charged with the murder of her female companion, Penny Sue Silas.
Details are limited, but police say they learned about the stabbing at around 10:25 p.m., after receiving a 911 call from the National 9 Motel, located in Tonopah. That’s where police say they found the body of a female lying unresponsive on a second floor balcony of the motel. An examination of the body revealed that Penny Sue Silas had suffered several stab wounds to the body. The victim was transported to a local hospital where she succumbed to her injuries, according to Fox 5-Vegas.
After processing the crime scene, police recovered the murder weapon used in the killing. Her roommate, Maureen Kinnamon, cried as she told police that she did not intend to hurt her friend. Kinnamon was charged with first-degree murder and is being housed at the Nye County Detention Center. Police have not offered a motive in the killing, nor have they commented on the nature of their relationship. Please revisit us as we add more details to Maureen Kinnamon–Penny Sue Silas story.
Update: News-4 reports that Maureen Kinnamon and Penny Silas were domestic partners. The murder most likely occurred during a lovers quarrel, and alcohol may have been involved. The original reports referred to the two women as roommates.
Research Center suggests that violence between gay partners is a growing social problem and public health concern. The subject of domestic violence or physical violence in lesbian or gay relationships is often ignored.
According to Leaving a Second Closet: Outing Partner Violence in Same-Sex Couples by Carolyn West and Partner Violence: A comprehensive review of 20 years of research by Jana L. Jasinski & Linda M. Williams, about 17 to 45 percent report domestic and physical violence in lesbian partner relationships. In those relationships many fail to get help for domestic violence and abuse due to the stigma attached to same sex relationships. And in many states, same sex couples are prohibited from getting protective orders against their partners.
American Progress makes the following observations about domestic violence between same sex partners.
“Gay and lesbian victims are also reluctant to seek help out of fear of showing a lack of solidarity among the gay and lesbian community. Similarly, many gay men and women hide their abuse out of a heightened fear that society will perceive same-sex relation- ships as inherently dysfunctional.”
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